THE JOURNAL OF DR. RUDY J. GLEEMEN

by Martin Nelson

He sifted through the piles of papers and files hoping for anything that might explain the sights that met their gaze upon entering the doctor's laboratories. The study was enormous, given the minute facilities in which the man had worked, with bookshelves reaching towards the ceiling twenty feet above packed high with a range of titles and genres, from the obvious medical journals and dictionaries, to the metaphysical discourse of Plato and the stoic writings of Marcus Aurelius. The team had been searching the study since they first breached the room earlier that morning, but for all their searching, they had found little to explain the atrocities committed by the doctor.

Remus had spent that time at the man's desk, sifting through the stacks of folders and files. Some contained pictures of the madness and torment that had taken place within those walls. More than once he found himself wishing he could glance away from portrayals of almost heathen debauchery and sadism, the lingering question of his supervisors echoing in his head, "Why?"

"Sir," the voice broke Remus from the shackles of his imagination as he viewed the vivisection of a child, unsure whether the poor thing had been alive or dead at the time, or as was rumored the doctor's custom, a newborn.

"Hm?" replied Remus to the team member who had broken the silence.

"Come look at this."

Remus closed the file of the child and placed it on top of the countless others strewn about the oaken desk. He rose from the plush leather chair that had once belonged to the doctor, feeling much older than when he had entered the room hours ago and walked towards his team member who stood looking at the rows of tomes in a bookshelf.

"What is it?" Remus asked dully.

"There," the man pointed. There were several monstrous glossaries whose golden and silver lettering danced in the light from the stained glass windows ornamenting the study. Remus followed the man's finger to a row of several entitled, The Natural Ordre of Beings, Volumes I-X and National Orders of the World, Volumes I-VI.

"What of them?" Remus asked. He knew of the doctor's rumored beliefs, the whole world had heard them.

"Between them, Sir."

Remus bent down for a closer look. Between the sets of volumes there was a singular beaten and leather bound book, unmarked in any way. Remus slid the book from its case with difficulty and held it up to the light. He flicked through the pages quickly and noticed the handwritten ink on their pages. It can't be, Remus thought to himself. 

Remus walked back to the oaken desk, his stride quickening in excitement. Opening a random file on the desk he compared the writing with that from the journal. His heart skipped a beat and his throat tighten as he recognized the writing in the journal and the doctor's file were identical. He threw the doctor's journal onto the plush chair and called for his team to assist in clearing the desk. They placed the files into the corner of the room and Remus told them all to ignore the room for now, instead focusing on putting the files in chronological order. As for himself, he would set about reading the journal of the man everyone had called The Doctor from Hell.

Remus snatched the journal and sat down. He was unsure what he would find in the written annals of the man's soul but hoped there would be at least some answers. So it was he finally opened the journal, past countless torn pages, vaguely reminiscing on the scene of the doctor at his fireplace as they stormed the study, wondering silently if the pages were now no more than smoldering ash in the fire behind the desk. He turned and noticed only cinders and coals burning low in the dying fire, hope of such thoughts of reconstruction fading in his mind.

He disregarded such hopeful notions and realized the blessing of the journal that now lay before him. The writing started on a new page, with no date or clue to give it reference. Thus were the words:

...they must never know, can never know, or else all the work will be ruined, and all will be for naught.

December 5th 20XX

I have gathered them all. The greatest scientific minds of our age have come to me. The proposal to the Department was met with success and they have agreed to fund the laboratories. For political reasons I have selected the island outside of Seattle. Dr. Abrahmson has always told me how he wished to live by the beach someday. I doubt he had intended for such a location. Ha!

The Department was clear in its negotiating. Total secrecy is to be maintained on the island. For that reason they have sent security forces to patrol the installation once it is built. They estimate it should only take a year. I can continue work on my final project until that time. I must also plan to meet with the other doctors for more disclosure of what must be done.

January 10th 20XX

I have met with the others. There is trepidation amongst the group. Only Abrahmson, Teufel, and Kovak are fully on board. Kapoor is hesitant, I plan to meet with them next week. Schneider, Kimmel, Nath, and Johnson are all opposed. I admitted them all only after signing the non-disclosure agreement. I do not think they will discuss anything. Besides, I have told them the Department is behind it as well and sanctioned such experiments. I must make an inquiry to the Chair once again and tell him there have been some who no longer wish to take part.

January 22nd 20XX

The meeting with Kapoor was...productive. He agreed to work under the conditions proposed with no serious stipulations. Kapoor brought Nath as well. It seems he has swayed his colleague. The overpopulation of their homeland and the need of those there seems to have done the trick. 

Nath told me after the meeting there were several men from the Department waiting for him at his house on Wednesday of last week. He was told that if he revealed anything discussed in the meeting with the other doctors that there would be consequences for him and his family. It seems the Department has helped secure another doctor for me. I also doubt now the others who shied away from this opportunity will reveal what will happen here.

Schneider...Kimmel...Johnson...these were all names Remus had heard before. They had been on the news as soon as rumors of the conditions within the doctor's laboratories were suggested. He remembered their names being spoken around the office too. They were not long on the news for all three had met with various accidents and illnesses. Many had cried foul, and Remus knew many were right.

May 15th 20XX

The others and I have begun to map out the various strategies for undertaking such feats of remedy. Kapoor's knowledge of autoimmune deficiencies will be essential for the first set of experiments. Nath and Teufel's genetic manipulation strategies will play a role in all stages. Abrahmson and Kovak have their theories, but won't be essential until the latter stages and experiments. I have them all planned, I need only guide and encourage them in their development of the cures. The Department will handle the rest.

They have assured me that development is coming along smoothly. There have been no snags apart from a BLM inquiry into the sudden Imminent Domain and reclamation of land that had once been a wildlife refuge. The Department has ensured me this will be inconsequential and will become bogged down in court appeals and bureaucracy until it no longer becomes feasible to sustain a case. Until then, they have instructed myself and the others to maintain a quiet profile. 

I have despised so much of them and theirs, but I must admit to the irony that it is sweet to enjoy the benefits of the Department.

November 12th 20XX

There has been a small snag in the building process: there was the realization that mainland power will be unavailable for the laboratories if we wish to enjoy the benefits of sovereignty. Until the laboratories are complete, we are unable to fully begin treatment and experimentation. Solar cells must be installed on the grounds and laboratory roofing. The Department has ensured me this will only delay their christening by a month at most.

I can wait, but can others? Iran has declared war on Israel, something many including myself knew was a long time coming. North Korea prepares to follow suit. If they join, will China follow? What of Russia? The next world war may be at hand. The Department has stressed how important this project is to them. I don't think they could ever realize its true purpose.

December 22nd 20XX

It's complete! At long last the facility is finished and we can move in. The others assure me their arrival will coincide shortly after Christmas. It would be nice to spend it with family once again, but that time has long passed. I will spend the time moving my personal effects into the facility.

Remus placed the journal on the desk and rubbed the dirt from his eyes. How could this man have convinced other, well respected doctors to join him? The files on the ground were testament to their brutality, and those were just the so called "successes." During the breach of the facility they had found the remnants of many experiments. Experiments? Remus caught himself wondering if that was how these men had grown so cold. They weren't experiments, they were people. Living breathing people. Women and children, some unborn or pregnant. More than one of his team members had vomited after they had disposed of the doctor. Even now, Remus picked up radio communications of the post-breach team documenting the contents of the massive facility and their reactions to it.

So far only the enigmatic beginning had given a clue to the supposed reasoning behind the doctor's experiments. He knew the Department was aware of them to some degree, but according to his superiors the doctor had made considerable deviations from their supposed plans. There must be some hint in the journal...

January 30th 20XX

Laboratory and facility setup and sterilization has been a success. Several underlings with which the other doctors and myself are comfortable working with have been hired to supervise certain activities for the time being. The other doctors and myself have decided that until the lower staff has been properly conditioned to their new environment, allowing them into the experiments would be a disaster. 

According to the Department, subjects will arrive this coming week. I am eager to begin testing.

February 4th 20XX

Subjects have arrived as promised. They have been muzzled and isolated to their individual cells before testing commences. Nath showed some anxiety on their arrival. Kapoor has been immensely helpful in assuaging the fears of our colleague. 

February 6th 20XX

All subjects administered with virus. There was a glimmer of doubt as I injected them. If we cannot find a cure, none of this will be worth it. We must succeed. See files.

"How far along are you?" Remus asked his team members.

"Most of the way through, sir," one replied.

"Do you have the first experiments?"

The team member moved a stack around and grabbed several files. He placed them onto the desk in front of Remus.

Remus opened the first, Subject 32. None of the men the doctor had written about in his journal survived. Subject 32 was the first to show any signs of being cured, but even he didn't make it. "Immune blocking agent administered at 8:03AM. Human immunodeficiency virus administered at 10:32AM. Immune Response Imitator 4 administered at 11:01AM."

The file went on, detailing the subject's slow death, despite "improved" condition. The next file was similar to the first, but showed greater improvement, and on and on the files continued. The boils and sores, the raggedy and malnourished faces of gaunt subjects, even the wretched look of confined torture subsided as Remus went through the stack of files. The final file contained twenty subjects, beginning with Subject 438 and ending in Subject 457. These men had all been "outstanding witnesses and testaments to modern medicine" according to the doctor. Remus only wondered what sort of ill form of death found them if not the doctor's first experiment. Though, he already knew how they died and he did not need to look farther than the journal that lay before him.

December 10th 20XX

The accolades have been collected and extolling received for work done by my colleagues and I through a paper rife with factual inaccuracies. Though, if people knew the truth of what we did here, they would not send their praises. We have offered our cure for HIV to the Department. It is made known now that they supply what they claim is humanitarian aid for the services and research our facility provides. It was the plan from the beginning, but I must admit that, until now, I have been so far unsure as to whether or not the general public would accept the ruse. So far public sentiment is positive and they have no suspicion the subjects listed in our paper and public announcement are the same as them. I wonder how they would react if they knew...

It is a curious feeling, as I continue with the development of our next set of experiments, I grow colder. Perhaps my grand design is misplaced. But, then, I return to the sentiment I held that day in the surgical tent and it warms me to think this is all for a greater good.

January 1st 20XX

The new year seemed an appropriate date to begin the new experiments. Abrahmson's expertise in vivisection has been immensely helpful following the beginning trials. To actually understand how the body reacts to radiation and to see it with your own eyes is a marvel. As we stood watching the first subjects, Abrahmson commented that, "Radiation abounds in the universe and it is miraculous to know our planet's atmosphere shields us from the godlike destructive power floating in the ether."

We shall see who is godlike when this is over.

January 30th 20XX

Abrahmson and Teufel have told me of an idea they had in our planning stages. After thirty days of trials and speculation on the interaction of radiation and various human tissue, they feel they may have actually discovered something in their initial planning. Teufel believes human genetics can be reconfigured to act as shields for radiation. It seems the idea of an atmosphere was one which Abrahmson already had in mind when we had set out on this venture. Teufel is hoping Nath's own experiments can aid in this regard.

February 16th 20XX

Nath and Teufel have hit a snag. They have been so far successful in creating a barrier between the cells and radiation, but so far unsuccessful in allowing cellular interaction following the administration of the cellular shield. 

The other doctors and myself decided this set of experiments was too early still for the lower staff to be admitted. Due to the gruesome nature of the live vivisections, but despite the need for more hands during operations, we felt the lower staff were as yet unready for such visual and visceral stimuli. That decision has become more apparent for two reasons. First, the cellular miscommunication following the live vivisections is a sight few, even a former combat surgeon such as myself, wishes to see again. But the need is great and it must be done. Secondly, one of the orderlies disregarded the rules and found her way into an operating room. We have so far confined her and remain divided on what to do next. Abrahmson believes confinement will do, but Teufel brought up the excellent point of who will care for her. If it is one of the other orderlies or lower staff, she will surely talk. Nath, of all people, suggested using her as a subject. I have grown cold over these last few years, but I am unsure how cold I have become. The more I think on it, the more I begin to hear the call that rang in my head many years ago when I set out on my mission.

There is no room for me to feel cold anymore. I must do this, not just for us, but for all. It is a burden I feel weighing heavier and heavier. I have not become so lost in the ideology of my task that I do not feel for this girl or any of the subjects any more, it is just the call of the purpose behind it that silences those feelings. I cannot falter now. She must be dealt with.

So be it.

April 3rd 20XX

We've had an unfortunate occurrence on the shores of our island. The facility has been patrolled by the security forces given to us by the Department ever since it's construction and there has yet to be any incursions by inquisitive personnel. That changed early yesterday.

Three young men decided to swim their way from the Sound onto the island. A poor choice. Two were shot as they made their way onto the beach. The third panicked and fled into the brush. After being notified by the security forces, Abrahmson ventured out to find the youth. They took him unharmed but now we have a similar problem to the one we had two months ago. The choice has become simpler since then.

The security personnel have begun to gripe as well. They claim the youths were their first bit of "action" since being assigned. No doubt they are upset. I am sure what they call "babysitting detail" is far from the excitement they've seen elsewhere. Just this morning in the commons two of the guards were discussing special operations they had been on in North Korea and the Caspian Sea. They were perhaps trigger happy when they saw three targets swimming their way the other day and reminded the entire group what it felt like to be in combat again. I, for one, am glad to be out of a warzone. It seems there are some who feel otherwise. Maybe this plan is all wrong...

No, they are the exception, not the rule. As soon as their kind are gone, there won't be those like them who crave such things.

April 20th 20XX

Kovak has had a breakthrough. His part in everything is vital. I could not have asked for a more creative biochemist to be a part of my team. He has told me what I thought possible all along, to fuse the two weapons in a way that would never happen naturally. The catalyst is something ridiculous, an enzyme I would have never thought capable of such a feat. Either way, the Department will be greatly overjoyed about the invention of the two weapons. They know it will help the war effort. Eastern Europe is already falling and the refugees from Japan are flooding the Australian shores. They wish to end the war as soon as possible and know this new kind of biological weapon will be something akin to the atom bomb in the 1940's.

The world is crumbling as I thought it would and our work to rebuild it continues here. My resolve has grown in light of the constant reminders of the war outside these walls. The missing teenage boys who found their way onto the island barely made the late night news of one local station. 

Still, there are some who suspect. Certain breadcrumbs necessary for the foundation of this island are beginning to come together for would-be activists. The Department has assured me they will amount to nothing. Then again, the same was said about the protesters of Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Time will tell, but for now I must continue to work.

June 30th 20XX

A remarkable mistake has been made.

It is often said the greatest scientific discoveries are stumbled upon by accident. So has another been made. One of Kovak's experiments found its way into a dying subject. Kovak tells me his experiment was based off our first discovery. It was a mutated strand of our imitator. He tells me he was hoping to create a weapon designated to assassinate others based on genetic imprints using the imitator. Little did we know what effect it would have on those whom were integrated.

Subject 4839 somehow broke free from his restraints and wandered about the facility. His pain caused massive psychological damage and thus he was seeking a way to end the pain. Numerous narcotics could have done the trick but he stumbled into Kovak's laboratory and decided to inject himself with the virus. No doubt the psychological strain caused minor hallucinations leading to such an event. Little did he or any of us know that the virus would act as a radiation inhibitor. His mutated white blood cells now absorb radiation, causing a massive increase in mass which attracts nearby cells. The white blood cells bond with their neighbors and use the energy produced by the radiation to cause rapid mitosis. It seems in Kovak's efforts to destroy life, we have found a way to make it stronger. I must regretfully inform Abrahmson and Teufel their progress will no longer be needed should this prove effective across multiple subjects.

As an aside, I have noted to Kovak if this is possible to duplicate for those the virus originally intended to kill. He assures me it is possible with certain manipulation. I am also curious to see whether or not this virus can be changed once it is in a person's system. If it is possible, I may have found a different method for the final solution.

Remus ran his fingers through his hair and thought hard. "Do you have Subject 4839 in the piles? It should be sometime around June, 20XX."

"I think I remember seeing that one, sir," one of his team members hastily shuffled through a pile. He pulled a fat file from the stack and handed it to Remus.

Opening it revealed a picture of a man scarred and deformed by radiation, a gaunt face and skeletal eyes hid a mind that clearly called for death. Remus had seen it before in certain warzones where certain standards of war were ignored. Photographs and medical scans of organs and skin were well documented as Remus flicked through the file. As the dates on the photographs grew closer to the present, the man's condition improved. The scars were healing and the man's demeanor even appeared lighter. In the final picture, the scars had healed and the only sign he had ever been a subject on the island was a slight discoloration of flesh where there had once been radiation scars. A small, Mona-Lisa-esque smile even creeped across his face.

I wonder if he even lived, Remus thought.

He tried to remember that year. The Department had released information regarding a super drug. Something that would cure not just cancerous cells and radiation, but could potentially make the previous breakthrough released by the team of scientists obsolete. All after only a year following their previous landmark breakthrough. People hadn't begun to wonder anything odd about the island and the special team of scientists until a New York Times article published the independent findings of a man who remarked on the genetic similarities of a virus they had found amongst Iranian troops and the wonder virus released by the doctor.

March 3rd 20XX

Damn fools. They released the tampered virus into the war. I told them of the consequences and yet they moved ahead anyways. It is far too early for such a move. We must accelerate our experiments if the final solution is to work. There is no way the public will go along with such an act unless everything has been done to proper specifications. We have had numerous reports of people wishing to see the island and inspect the facilities. We cannot allow such an act. Further secrecy only strengthens our cause but it is too damned early. The fools.

I have told them we will need a different set of subjects for our next experiments. Abrahmson, Nath, and Teufel have assured me the best source would be expecting mothers. As cold as I have become, I must admit there is minor trepidation in the thought of what I must do. I have told the Department only vagrants and transients. I will not separate happy families. No, for that even she would not understand. It will not matter what substances the subjects have abused prior to coming here. All will be made right and then they and their children will help the cause of all.

June 4th 20XX

Nath has become more detached since the new experiments began. I believe our previous work has numbed the man to his initial anxiety. Oddly it is now his old friend, Kapoor, who is distant with the rest of us. I have found he is often taking long walks about the island. The guards tell me he stands on the shores and looks distantly into the sea and off to the mainland. I question his resolve.

June 10th 20XX

Kapoor was found dead this morning, washed ashore. It appears he jumped from the rocks of the cliff on the east side of the island. His body was picked apart by crabs but his features were still recognizable. It appears the man's resolve did not last as long as I had hoped.

July 5th 20XX

The experiments are going well. We have successfully used the stem cells of a progeny and a catalyst used in Teufel and Abrahmson's experiments to reattach the severed limbs of the mother. She is in good spirits. All things considered. I wish the progeny was able to be saved. It would have made a fine subject for the next phase.

October 10th 20XX

Under normal circumstances, no guards are permitted inside the operating rooms and laboratories. We allow them access to the living quarters, recreation facility, commons, and mess hall only. There was one who wandered about the facility and happened upon a room during an operation. He has seen our work.

The others and I are undecided on what to do. We have confined him to personal quarters until further notice. Nath believes we should use him as a subject. Kovak thinks doing so might put us all in danger since he is one of the guards and he believes it would be ill advised to anger our protectors. Abrahmson and Teufel are divided. I am unsure what to do in this regard. Part of me suspects the guard has been properly conditioned by the war zones in North Korea to not discuss what he has seen.

Though part of me believes now is the time our next phase begins. Either way could work in our favor.

October 21st 20XX

I have decided to release the guard. I have spoken with the Department and agreed he should be dishonorably discharged. The Department wonders why I would call attention to a guard but they do not know my true reasons. I told them it would send a message to the other guards and make the facility seem less of a "babysitting" operation. It's all a lie.

January 3rd 20XX

The released guard has gone public with what he has seen. Journalists have attempted to reach us. Only the Department has access to our phone line but it has not stopped others from attempting to come onto the island. The guards have switched to nonlethal rounds and sent crowd deterrents towards boats seeking to dock without permission. This was only after the insistence by Abrahmson to use nonlethal force. I disagree with the decision but for now it may work.

The Department has come under heavy scrutiny. With the war drawing to a close, the people are looking for a new villain, as I knew they would. The Department hopes to save face and it will, as it always has. I will give them something else.

February 27th 20XX

Abrahmson, Teufel, and Nath have each had breakthroughs. The revitalization projects are on schedule to becoming our greatest experiments. I wonder if the public will still see it as evil. They will of course, infants are always a soft spot for people, but they have made the best subjects due to their compatibility with their mothers and abundance of healthy stem cells. With Kovak's virus we have been able to successfully reattach the dead digital extremities. Teufel hopes to move onto the larger extremities soon. Nath is eager to try cephalic reattachment. 

Those are nothing compared to Kovak's latest finding. He has found there is no key. It will all be a lie and no one will find such a key to unlock the virus he's made. I couldn't be more overjoyed.

March 15th 20XX

The Department has issued a full withdrawal of aid. Thankfully it came following the latest shipment of subjects. We will be well stocked until this ends. With experiments progressing, this may well have been the final shipment we needed. Providence has shined upon us.

Unfortunately, this also means our guards have abandoned us. They have all withdrawn to the mainland. Interviews and reports are being made of what they glanced and saw. One has already accounted how he was "mournfully ordered to murder three youths as they swam ashore, not knowing where they even were." Ha! What irony, I remember that guard laughing after he shot the boys, wishing there were more to shoot. This is even better than expected. They are passing all the blame to us. As they should.

Remus placed his finger on the page and flicked forward. He was nearing the end, but he hoped the journal might have more to it than just another page.

"What are the most recent files we have?" he asked his team.

They grabbed the bottom folder from a pile nearby. Before his team member handed him the file, he looked skeptically at Remus.

"What is it?" he asked his team member.

"Are your sure, sir?" the man asked Remus.

Remus looked at the others. They eyed their superior, knowing full well the entire meaning behind the question. The rumors of those final experiments had been gruesome, even for the doctor's standards. Remus nodded and his team member handed him the file.

Flicking it open produced a picture of a smiling pregnant woman, dully unaware of the horror that would soon await her. The Department had told Remus they had been the supplier for the doctor's experiments, providing him with vagrants, criminals, and other undesirables. Her file held no such background besides a brief medical examination. She had been in outstanding health for a homeless soon-to-be mother. That is, until the doctor had gotten a hold of her.

April 1st, 20XX, Preliminary sedation, successful, the file read. Experimental expedition into operations concerning Subject 9757 successful. Op scheduled for a week from today.

April 9th, 20XX, Op successful. 30 hour operation. Patient vitals have stabilized 2 hours following procedure. Adrenaline shot needed as additional catalyst.

April 18th, 20XX, Subject 9757 awoken from chemical induced coma. She's...different.

April 19th, 20XX, Serious psychological conditions apparent. Cephalic reassignment has resulted in biological success, psychological failure. Subject shows characteristic traits of various dissociative disorders with bordering traits of manic-depressive schizophrenia. 

April 24th, 20XX continuing psychological issues despite progressive therapies. Subject terminated own life. See video.

Remus was not looking forward to reviewing any video files, but he knew it would have to be done. When they had breached the facility, the archives were full of hard drives and he dreaded the thought of sitting through hours of experiments, the rumors of which had made the world cringe. The real spotlight had been cast on the doctor and his facility when he ended the war. Maybe the journal held the answers for why he had targeted both sides.

April 29th, 20XX

Cephalic reassignment has been a success of sorts. There are issues which still need ironing out, yet I am confident that the research used here can be finished by others. Unfortunately now is not the time. I only hope those who take the lessons of this place have the moral fortitude to put my work to good use.

The Department's withdrawal from our shores has been met with increased acceptance by the public. Luckily, we are well stocked to last until the final solution is put in place. I have given my doctors my parting wishes and have asked them to leave the island. Nath appears hesitant to part from the laboratories for research purposes, but Teufel and Abrahmson are of a like mind and believe if they venture from the island they will be vilified. I believe their hesitation is not unwarranted. They have both asked what will happen to me and the rest of the staff. I have told them they will leave as well and I will remain, as was my intention the entire time. Kovak was the only one who publicly admitted to wishing to leave. But for him, there is an exception.

May 2nd 20XX

I have successfully convinced everyone to leave the island. Now, all I can do is wait. Thankfully, the Department built this place to be entirely self sufficient. I will receive everything I need from this island. As will the world. Now all I can do is wait.

May 5th 20XX

Kovak has been successful. First reports are coming in from North Korea, Pakistan, Uganda, Canada, and Ireland. The numbers climb and yet I feel nothing but pride, a feeling I know I should strike out against. I'm sure many will suggest the experiments I conducted have turned me into a callous and genocidal sociopath, a cold remnant of the doctor I once was. That doctor died years before this facility was even built. He died with her. Even now it pains me to write of it.

May 10th 20XX

Two billion dead within the first five days. Kovak's prediction was successful. The virus swept across Pakistan and into India. I wonder if Nath is now in the country. 

The first step is complete at least. The war is over.

May 11th 20XX

The Department has announced a joining between the Western Allied Republics and the Eastern Sovereign States. The African Peoples Government has announced a ceasefire to all hostilities within their borders. They are petitioning the new joint alliance for entry. They are seeking a cause and cure for this epidemic. 

The death toll has risen by another half billion in just one day.

May 15th 20XX

The Department's dirty secrets are coming to the light at last. They have issued a statement declaring the early biochemical weapon Kovak made as a product of our facility. It has shown genetic similarities to the current virus now destroying the world. How ironic they have had the cure for the weapon and its pernicious brother, now ravaging the world, since the beginning of this entire endeavor.

May 16th 20XX

The United Coalition, as the new government is titling itself, has released the cure for the virus. They have also issued a warrant for my arrest for crimes against humanity. How odd it is to watch this unfold from the abandoned facility on nationally televised news. I feel alien now, totally removed from these people and this world. I must prepare my statement and the final stage of my journey. I tire of walking through this life like a ghost, unsure what the world will come to. After all this, I doubt any will feel this despair ever again.

May 17th 20XX

I have issued my statement to the world. I may have been above the norm for my medical knowledge and theories but my technical ability has always been found wanting. Either way, the statement is issued. I even saw it later on television. It is a fame and celebrity I neither want nor deserve. But it is needed.

Remus thought hard, remembering the statement the doctor had made months ago. It had terrified the world and galvanized national governments. He actually remembered the odd feeling of seeing true fear in the leaders of the world. Here were men and women who answered only in general custom and niceties to other leaders, playing cordial games to weasel their ways into the good graces for resources and power. He had hated attending the formal functions put on by his superiors in the Department and seeing the charades of the political elite on display.

The political games had ended when the doctor issued his statement and the United Coalition had formed. There was real fear in those people then. Those sovereign rulers now learned to answer not just to each other for the sake of their own people and the world, but to a doctor living on an island off the coast of Washington.

The doctor's announcement had been clear: invade him, and he will unleash a weapon for which there is no antidote. Many suspected it was simply an empty threat, but many in the former Department believed it was serious. After all, the man had cured numerous ailments that long plagued humanity. He had brought back decaying tissue, even succeeded in limb reattachment. By the looks of it, he was close to furthering that research and bordering on body reanimation. No, there was heavy weight suggesting he held a biochemical weapon capable of killing more than the almost five billion that had died in the first outbreak.

The journal entries were becoming shorter and the time closer to the present date as Remus continued on the last pages of the journal, seeing more than one torn out.

July 1st 20XX

Summer has come. I sat outside today on the cliffs and looked out towards the mainland. It has been over a week since my island has been surrounded. Countless ships of every former nation and color now move about in the strait between my island and the mainland. Old flags and colors have been covered with a new symbol: seven gold rings in a blue circle.

The quiet and silence of the island gives me plenty of time to think on such new ideas.

July 10th 20XX

The news stations report greater tensions rising between myself and the United Coalition. I knew this would happen. Perhaps I should have gone into psychology after all, as my father once wanted. No, this is a bigger purpose.

August 1st 20XX

The patrols are getting more daring. I have even become accustomed to night incursions, testing the personnel and capabilities of what the United Coalition presumes to be the remaining staff of the island. I can only imagine the look of shock when they realize it is only me. 

I fear my time is coming to a close. I must prepare everything for the final eventuality.

It was the morning of August 2nd when Remus and his team breached the facility. They were indeed shocked to find the only remaining living person was the doctor. When they had breached the room, the doctor had been standing at the fire behind the oak desk where Remus now sat reading the dead man's journal. Remus and his team could not take any chances with the virus the doctor may or may not have had in his possession. They had been given strict orders to kill on sight any staff of the island. It had only been the doctor.

Remus turned the chair to face the fireplace. The blood splatter from where one of his team had shot the man was long dried on the mantle above the hearth. Below the mantle, the fire's embers burned.

Towards the back of the glowing fireplace a single worn and burnt page fluttered in the draft blowing down from the chimney. Remus wondered what the doctor could have possibly wanted to hide from the world after the atrocities he had committed in the name of scientific curiosity and progress. He remembered the man's statement to the United Coalition was even filled with egocentric and self aggrandizing rhetoric. "It is a fame and celebrity I neither want nor deserve." He remembered the doctor's words and sat in his chair, looking at the lone page on the urge of burning in the coals of the long dead fire. 

His curiosity got the better of him as he began to recall minor inconsistencies in the doctor's journal. He stooped down and snatched the lone page from the embers.

A corner was burned badly and whatever was written at the start had been lost to soot and fire long ago. The previous pages had been burned into the top but the bottom remained remarkably untainted.

August 4th 20XX

She has gone forever now. They have all gone. Since time immemorial we have been at odds. Brother slays brother, father buries son, on and on it goes. It is the nature of man. It is in our nature to hate and to kill and to want. It will never be enough. Or will it?

There is only one thing that has ever united us. The Other. Towns and cities come together, put old grudges behind them when a threat of the Other comes. Even the age old blood feuds between these desert tribes has come to an end in opposition of the Other, in this case, the Department. Enemies unite when they see they have a common enemy. It is said, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," and the enemy is always the Other. Perhaps if one were to go beyond the normal means and endure the hatred of the world, they could become the Other.

The image of her comes floating to mind as I write this. That is how I know this is what I must do. She died to show me this way. Many more will die for the vision to be complete. There must be great planning, yes, but in the end there will be a new age for all mankind. I will give them the Other to hate and fear and dread.

But it must seem authentic. Should any know the real reason for the crimes that I will commit then all would be broken. Whatever progress is made will be deemed a lie. That is why...

Remus knew how it ended. "That is why they must never know, can never know, or else all the work will be ruined, and all will be for naught." He stood over the fire, the page shaking in his hand, suddenly realizing everything the doctor had done.

"What is it, sir?" a team member asked, moving next to him. "Is something wrong?"

Remus looked up into the man's face. He was adorned in all the special forces attire the Department had once used. However, where the old Department symbol had once been, a new badge had been stitched: seven gold rings in a blue circle.

Remus crumpled the page in his hand and tossed it into the hearth. It slowly began to unfold before bursting into flames.

"Not anymore."